Sir James McCay (1864–1930) was an Australian general and politician. As a member of the Victorian Parliament (1895–99), he championed federation and women's suffrage. He became a member of the first Australian Federal Parliament in 1901 and was Minister for Defence (1904–05), where his long-lasting reforms included creating the Military Board. In World War I, McCay commanded the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Australian Army in the landing at Anzac Cove, during the Gallipoli Campaign. He was later wounded in the Second Battle of Krithia and sent home, but returned to command the 5th Division, which he led in the Battle of Fromelles in 1916, dubbed "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history". His failures in difficult military operations made him a controversial figure who earned the disfavour of his superiors, and his efforts to succeed in the face of insurmountable obstacles earned him the odium of troops under his command, who blamed him for high casualties. After the war, McCay resumed his old job as Deputy Chairman of the State Bank of Victoria; his other public roles included commanding the Special Constabulary Force during the 1923 Victorian Police strike. ( Full article...)

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• ... that The Roses of Heliogabalus (pictured), owned by Juan Antonio Pérez Simón, is being exhibited in London for the first time in over one hundred years?
• ... that the distress calls of long-tailed vole neonates are in the ultrasonic range?
• ... that the Inglehart–Welzel cultural map of the world groups countries into nine cultural clusters?
• ... that Ellie Greenwood beat the record for the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run by 50 minutes?
• ... that thousands of volunteers have corrected millions of lines of digitised Australian newspapers on Trove?
• ... that the Suquamish Museum houses a 300-year-old canoe that was used by Suquamish tribesmen as recently as 1989?
• ... that there were "countless" debates over the authenticity of Trent from Punchy?

• India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III successfully completes its first flight, carrying the crew vehicle demonstrator CARE.
• U.S. aid worker Alan Gross and three members of the Cuban Five are released by Cuba and the United States, respectively, as both nations move to resume diplomatic relations.
• In an effort to curtail the rapid decline of the ruble, the Central Bank of Russia raises interest rates to 17%.
• At least 141 people are killed as Taliban gunmen storm a school in Peshawar, Pakistan.
• Gunman Man Haron Monis and two hostages are killed when a siege ends at a café in Sydney.
• In Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito coalition secures a two-thirds majority following a snap general election.

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December 21: December solstice (23:03  UTC, 2014); Yaldā, Yule, and other winter solstice festivals (Northern Hemisphere); Summer solstice (Southern Hemisphere).

• 1826 – American settlers in Mexican Texas made the first attempt to secede from Mexico, establishing the short-lived Republic of Fredonia.
• 1844 – The Rochdale Pioneers, usually considered the first successful co-operative enterprise, opened their store (pictured) in Rochdale, England, and formed the basis for the modern co-operative movement.
• 1923 – Nepal and the United Kingdom signed a treaty, the first to define the international status of Nepal as an independent and a sovereign nation.
• 1965 – The United Nations adopted the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which 87 member nations have since signed.
• 1994 – Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano, dormant for 47 years, began erupting, and is now the nation's most active volcano.

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